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“Jay, there’s a woman here at the front asking to speak with you,” Aria said.
“Did she give her name or what company she’s from?” Jay didn’t think it would be Casey again. It didn’t seem like Aria was annoyed by this woman the way she would have been if it were Casey.
“Just a minute.” He heard muffled conversation, then Aria said, “Her name is Amberlyn Scott.”
The name was a flash out of the past, and Jay froze, his stomach clenching with dread. He had no idea why she was in Serenity, but it couldn’t be for any good reason.
The last time he’d seen her, they’d fought because he’d told her that he didn’t want to go out with her anymore. The truth was that Casey had contacted him to get back together again, and since he still wasn’t over Casey and hadn’t yet developed strong feelings for Amberlyn, he’d had no trouble walking away from her.
That breakup had been the worst one between him and Casey. It had followed his decision to not even talk to the scout who had approached him about playing professionally. She’d been livid, and when she’d ended things, Jay had been certain it was for good.
Feeling battered from that fight with Casey, he’d turned to Amberlyn for solace. Getting involved with her when he’d still had feelings for Casey had been a bad decision, and then he’dmade it worse by ending things with her the way he had. She’d deserved better than how he’d treated her.
He got up from his desk and walked to the front, prepared to face his past once again.
“Amberlyn,” he said when he spotted her standing near the desk. “What brings you to Serenity?”
“Can we talk?”
“Sure. Come back to my office,” Jay said, then turned and led her through the halls to where his office was located. Once there, he waited for her to step into the office before he closed the door behind her. “Have a seat.”
As she sank down on the chair he indicated, Jay went around to his own seat. “This is a bit of a surprise.”
“I know,” she said as she gripped her purse tightly. “But I needed to talk to you.”
“It’s been a few years since I last saw you. What could you possibly need to talk to me about?”
“Your son.”
“My… what?” Jay’s stomach lurched, making him feel a little sick as his heart pounded in his chest. “I don’t understand.”
“I got pregnant after we slept together,” she said. “I didn’t get a chance to tell you before you ended things with me. Then I heard from one of the guys on the team that you were back with your ex.”
Shame and dread gripped Jay as he felt himself losing his grasp on the life he’d built over the past several years. He was at a loss as to what to say. Did he apologize? Deny that the boy was his? Demand that she prove her accusation?
“I know you probably won’t believe he’s yours, but we can do a paternity test to prove it. I am one hundred percent confident it will come back saying you’re his father.”
“What do you want from me?” Jay asked. “Money?”
If it was just money, he would happily agree to give her child support.
“No. I want you to take him.”
“What?” Jay stared at her in shock and horror. She wanted him to take the boy?
What kind of woman was she? Good mothers didn’t just give their children away. Not unless they were in a situation like his mom had been, with no other options.
“It no longer works to have him in my life,” Amberlyn said, her expression tight.
“I don’t understand how you can say that about a boy you’ve raised for the past… what… six years?”
Amberlyn’s chin lifted. “I’m doing what’s best for him.”
“For him? It sounds like you’re doing what’s best for you.”
“Listen, you don’t know me or my situation. The man I love wants to marry me, but he doesn’t want Peyton.”
“He’s your son,” Jay said. “You’re a package deal.”
